Nintendo is expected to show a consolidated loss for 2011. Thanks to the doom and gloom climate, its stock recently dipped below the ¥10,000 (US$127) per share mark for the first time in over 7 years. The cause of this overall loss can be attributed in part to the poor sales performance of the 3DS. The fact that Nintendo was forced to drop the price of the 3DS, thus forcing them to take a loss for every unit sold certainly didn't help any.

No one can doubt that Nintendo has come a long way from the modest little card company in 1889 to the game giant it is now. In 1985, Nintendo released Super Mario Brothers and cemented themselves as THE game company for years to come and making Mario the most famous video game icon in the world. But is there such a thing as too much Mario?

But now, financial experts argue that Nintendo's reliance on the Italian plumber is preventing their growth in the new digital age. According to Japan's Sankei News, "As the game market evolves, Nintendo seems unable to move beyond creating games that rely on the image of Mario..." and that this "Curse of Mario" has hampered Nintendo's ability to adapt their business model to the newer market of DLC and smaller indie games. Could it be that Mario's economic life-span is coming to an end?

Perhaps it's time Nintendo gave the prolific little plumber a rest from his kart and various suits. Then again, according to a report by Famitsu, Nintendo managed to pull in the majority of sales shares (23.6%) for January of 2012, so maybe too much Mario isn't such a bad thing after all... Still, it's comforting to know that Mario creator Shigeru Miyamoto is focusing on making new games and training fresh blood.